Uncategorized Archives

ASI Case #1007 Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Billy Penn

ASI (Amp Scene Investigation) Case #1007 Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue. These are pretty cool amps but could be better. I see them as a great platform to hand-wire. This particular amp was 100% bone stock with the green pcb’s and all. I gutted all the modern components and replaced them with good ol’ fashioned fiberboards, […]

Nickel-Silver vs Stainless Steel Frets

Posted on January 9, 2018 (March 11, 2019) by Billy Penn

I’ve been noticing a lot more requests lately to re-fret guitars with Stainless Steel fret wire. I also get asked a ton of questions about the differences between Nickel-Silver and Stainless Steel frets. Here is a succinct post about my observations of these two fret wire materials. But first a little fret history. Up […]

Standel Gets A New Bridge

Posted on March 28, 2017 (March 11, 2019) by Billy Penn

A really nice old Standel acoustic guitar came into my shop because it was not playing very well. Upon closer inspection I found that almost every brace was loose, the frets were very worn and it obviously needed a new bridge because it was cracked right down the middle, plus it was also loose. It […]

Abigail Ybarra on Pickup Winding

Posted on February 27, 2017 (March 11, 2019) by Billy Penn

Here is a great interview with Abigail Ybarra about winding pickups for 57 years for Fender! She was the longest working Fender employee and the Discovery Channel show “Made In America” figured out that she had wound wire—just the wire— around the world 16 times! That is a lot of wire!! Click here to read the […]

Spring Reverb Tank Codes Explained

Posted on February 24, 2017 (March 11, 2019) by Billy Penn

This is a great video explaining the meaning of the reverb tank codes. Check it out!! […]

New Eminence Speakers Custom Shop!!

Posted on October 25, 2016 (March 11, 2019) by Billy Penn

This is really cool! The good folks at Eminence Speakers say “If you want it….we’ll build it”. They can modify an existing Eminence product or create a a custom unique design from scratch. There is also a speaker break in process they are offering…how cool is that? Read on…. With over 170 unique pro […]

Unsafe Repair Practice

Posted on January 21, 2016 (January 31, 2019) by Billy Penn

This is a very unsafe filter cap replacement repair on a vintage blackface Princeton Reverb amplifier. The capacitors are not securely mounted to the chassis. The heat shrink splices pulled off very easily and could have shorted inside the chassis. The amplifier also had a hum because there is no center tap for the filament […]

Upgrading Reissue Tube Amplifiers

Posted on September 8, 2015 (January 31, 2019) by Billy Penn

Fender ’57 Bandmaster 5E7 reissue chassis before and after. I gutted out the lengthy stranded conductor wire and replaced it with cloth insulated solid core wire. I also replaced all capacitors and resistors with higher quality components. The amp sounds MUCH better and has a nicer dynamic feel. This type of repair is becoming […]

1959 Fender Stratocaster

Posted on August 22, 2015 (January 31, 2019) by Billy Penn

This is a really great example of a 1959 Fender Stratocaster that came into my shop for just some set up work. This guitar is all 100% original including the case. One unique feature is that this particular guitar is a “hardtail” meaning it does not have the Synchronized Tremolo. The tone and response is […]

1962 Fender Stratocaster Restoration

Posted on August 1, 2015 (January 31, 2019) by Billy Penn

Here is the end result of a restoration of a late 1962 Fender Stratocaster. This particular example has the curved “veneer” rosewood fret board as opposed to the earlier slab type fret board. The guitar is 100% original except for the finish. When I received the guitar it was a similar blue color with […]